Co-teachers, a Chinese curriculum, different pedagogies – teaching in a bilingual school in China can be a steep learning curve but very rewarding, too, as these teachers explain
China is one of the biggest markets for international schools and so the opportunities for overseas teachers there have - for many years - been plenty.
What’s more, for anyone thinking about moving to China to teach, it is worth understanding that as well as international schools in the country, there are also bilingual schools - the type of school that we work at.
International schools vs bilingual schools
The main difference between an international school and a bilingual school in China is that children attending a bilingual school must have a Chinese passport to attend, which means far fewer, if any, expat pupils and teaching is primarily based on the Chinese National Curriculum (CNC).
The CNC is similar to the UK national curriculum in that it has standards for core subjects, but there are some topics that are not taught, such as religious studies.
Usually, teachers are not required to have experience specifically with this curriculum but they will need to be experienced teachers who are able to support the English-as-an-additional-language needs of learners within the school.
There are a range of subjects taught in our bilingual school: some of these are taught in one language, some are taught in both languages. Here is an example of how this looks.
For example, English, phonics and something known as thematic studies (also called topic or multi-disciplinary learning) are taught in English, while Chinese and Steam subjects are usually taught in Chinese.
Topics such as PSHE, visual art, performing art, PE and maths are often taught in both languages. Some of the lessons are led by international teachers and some of them are led by national teachers. Some schools even run these lessons with both an international and a national teacher present, but most do not.
It is worth noting here that it is not necessary for expat teachers to speak Chinese to teach in these schools - that part of the curriculum is delivered by the Chinese teachers within the school.
What’s more, there are often co-teachers, who you work alongside in a classroom to deliver lessons. This can be quite a novel experience and it takes some getting used to but there are some core principles that help make it work (see the box below).
All of this may sound daunting - and there are challenges, as we shall see - but there are also many benefits to the bilingual Schools system that are worth considering.
Why you should consider it
First of all, it is safe to say that the demand for jobs is higher. This is because there are multiple bilingual schools that require high-quality teachers and the supply of these is currently quite low in China.
China is becoming an increasingly affluent country, especially in the bigger cities, so, there are an increasing number of Chinese parents who want to seek out the highest quality education that they can, which creates a market for top-quality bilingual schools.
For parents, the bilingual model has become increasing appealing because it provides an immersive English learning environment and gives children the chance to develop bilingualism from an early age, while still engaging in the CNC and maintaining a strong Chinese culture in their education.
For teachers in these schools, this mix of cultures is one of the big appeals, too.
For example, Roland is a grade 3 teacher at a bilingual school in China and has worked in country for around nine years. He says one of the best things about being in a bilingual school is that it feel feels even more like you are living and working in “the local culture” of the country, and that this can open up more career opportunities.
“Personally, I find it more beneficial being able to understand Chinese (local) culture for career and personal growth. Besides, bilingual school also provides global cultural diversity so it’s like I have the best of both worlds in a bilingual school,” he says.
Ciaran, a deputy head of a bilingual school in Shanghai, agrees and notes that there are greater CPD opportunities for teachers in a bilingual school.
“If you are happy to engage in CPD, you are essentially adding to your skillset as a teacher, because you are learning how to teach language acquisition in every subject,” he says.
On the teaching and learning side, meanwhile, Aisling, head of English at a bilingual school, says that although it can be challenging being in a setting where students are moving between two languages all the time, the reality is they adapt really well and this complements their learning.
“I have found that bilingual students are generally very confident communicators - their ability to transition from one language to another is impressive,” she says.
“They are also more adaptive learners and can seamlessly apply learning skills across different subject areas with language not being a barrier.”
Ciaran notes as well that for pupils with less strong English at the start of their schooling, seeing them develop can be “very rewarding”.
Of course, this takes effort on behalf of the teacher and it means that language acquisition is perhaps even higher than normal, as they have to learn both the technical terms in a subject but also the translation between the two languages.
For example, even in a maths lesson, you find yourself repeatedly drilling language and using concept-checking questions to ensure that students are understanding exactly what you are saying.
Well-run bilingual schools will offer relevant CPD and training opportunities for growth in this area, too, so you shouldn’t be left to fend for yourself to do any of this.
For example, at my school at the start of this academic year, we had specialist phonics training and demonstrations of phonics teaching in practice by our head of English and English coordinator to help us ensure that we were modelling vocabularly as accurately as possible, given its importance.
The challenges it can present
Of course, the language barrier is an issue that cannot be overlooked, as Roland makes plain.
“Since most of the staff are Chinese, clear and direct communication has always been a struggle,” he says.
Indeed, the use of a translation app has saved him many times, especially when emails have piled up and when talking with staff.
However, Ciaran says the hardest thing is that you can have hugely varying levels of English language skills in the classroom. “Many students come into class with very little or no English language ability and they are in the same setting as students who are fluent,” he explains.
This can make it tough to delive lessons because you have to do a lot of stopping to check comprehension and ensure that all learners are digesting the key information.
It’s difficult but it can create CPD opportunities for teachers, too. “It is another level of differentiation, and that is a huge challenge for the teacher, but if you can learn to do it well, you can teach anywhere,” says Ciaran.
Parents can add to the pressure with high expectations around language development, often expecting “rapid progress”, and teachers often have to manage this expectation.
Indeed, engaging with parents is another challenge of working in a bilingual school, because many parents are not fluent English speakers.
“Building a rapport with parents can be tricky, especially if they do not have high levels of competency in English,” says Aisling.
Adapating to other pedagogies
It can be difficult to explain to parents a teaching method that may be very different to what they are used to. “Getting parents to understand western methodologies and approaches to learning, as they are so different to Chinese culture, can be a challenge”, Aisling admits.
Another big challenge is that pupils are effectively being taught from two different curricula at once, which gives rise to the risk that local teachers and international teachers are using widely different approaches and styles - as Roland has seen happen.
“I’ve seen conflicts and overlapping functions, which somehow make teaching and learning confusing [and this can be a challenge to] establish the proper study habit and learning development of the students,” he says.
In my experience, the remedy to this is through healthy and communicative relationships between national and international departments.
These can be established through regular meetings in which everybody can have a voice.
For example, you can use Microsoft Forms to gather teacher and leader opinions about how changes are working, and encourage all to voice concerns before rolling out changes, so they can be navigated in the least risky way possible.
This means accepting that you need to be open to taking on feedback, so your approach may need to adapt, too.
Conclusion
Overall, the challenges of teaching in a bilingual school in China are notable - but they are not insurmountable, and teaching in these schools is not only great for career growth and CPD but also for meeting great people, embracing other cultures and having fun, too.
Certainly, as my fellow teachers outline here and I can attest, if you are open to the challenge, to growing yourself and embedding yourself in entirely different cultures, it’s a route into teaching in China that comes highly recommended.
Linda Zheng is the Chinese coordinator and a Grade 3 homeroom teacher and Gregory Macur is the extracurricular coordinator and a Grade 3 homeroom teacher at a bilingual school in China
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